College Readiness: What Does It Mean for Higher Ed?

“College and career readiness” has become the rallying cry for what high schools should aim to achieve for their graduates. But large numbers of students still arrive on college campuses needing remedial courses, and many of those who are academically ready still struggle to adapt to college and earn their degrees.

“College and career readiness” has become the rallying cry for what high schools should aim to achieve for their graduates. But large numbers of students still arrive on college campuses needing remedial courses, and many of those who are academically ready still struggle to adapt to college and earn their degrees.

To examine this disconnect and what is being done to address it, the Education Writers Association is holding an intensive seminar for higher education journalists on Feb. 26-27 in Los Angeles. Join EWA on the campus of the University of Southern California for an in-depth look at what the accelerating push for college readiness means for higher education — and for the journalists who cover it.

In sessions tailored to busy reporters, participants will gain fresh insights and story ideas on some of the most timely topics in higher education: How will the new SAT affect the college-admissions maelstrom? What does the boom in Advanced Placement course-taking mean for higher education? What to make of debates over “overmatching” and “undermatching,” and what does the evidence really tell us about which colleges are the best fits for students of color?

During this fast-paced program, researchers, policy experts, and leading journalists will exchange ideas on emerging stories on dual-enrollment programs, efforts to promote success for low-income students, and initiatives to bridge the disconnect between K-12 and higher ed.

According to a leading economist, the public debate over affirmative action’s role in higher education is missing the point, and could actually lead to worse academic outcomes for students who get a boost from a college’s affirmative action policies. That view, however, is hotly contested by a wide range of scholars.

It’s a question American college students have asked for decades, as freshmen huddle in large lecture halls for courses with a 101 in the title wondering when they’ll ever get to classes that actually have something to do with their majors.

A few weeks ago Reina Olivas got on the phone with a freshman college student. “She was having a hard time with the cultural experience, the college experience,” said Olivas, a college mentor who’s in her third year at the University of Texas at Austin. “So I asked her this initial question – ‘Have you gone to office hours?’”

Olivas is part of an eight-person crew at the Dell Scholars Program that connects with 1,500 college students across the country who could use a helpful hint from other students who also are wending their way through higher learning.

Do tests or high school grades better determine whether a student is ready for college-level math and reading? For public universities and community colleges, increasingly the answer is both – or no tests at all, reporters learned during a seminar hosted by the Education Writers Association in Los Angeles last month.

The SAT has been called out of touch, instructionally irrelevant, and a contributor to the diversity gaps on college campuses because the test arguably benefits wealthier students who can afford heaps of test preparation.

But now the SAT is fighting back. The College Board, the test’s owner, is hoping that a major makeover of the assessment that’s set to debut this weekend will persuade critics that students, teachers and colleges still need an exam that has been a centerpiece of the admissions landscape for 90 years.

In March, students nationwide will take a new version of the SAT for the first time, one that ditches the dreaded vocabulary words and tries to better gauge how students can apply what they have learned in classes. ACT also has made changes to its exam, most notably in the essay-writing portion. Meanwhile, the number of colleges that are test-optional in their application process continues to grow. Experts update journalists on these changes.

EWA is able to provided limited travel scholarships to qualified members. Scholarships may be able to cover or reimburse your costs to attend the seminar. Scholarships are granted first come, first served.

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